Ramon Alexis Pereyra

March 25, 2024

Abraham
Patriarch of Three Religions

“Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land

that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name

great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him

who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” These were the

words which ignited the faith that set Abram (which was his name before the Lord

changed it) apart from other men in the idolatrous nation of Ur where he came from.

Abraham’s full name was Abraham Ben Terah. He was born c. 2150 B.C. in Ur

Kasidim of Chaldea and died c. 1975 B.C. in Hebron of Canaan. Abraham’s father was

Terah and his mother was Amathlai (according to the Talmud). Abraham had three

wives, Sarah, Hagar and Keturah.

Why is Abraham so important? Well for starters Judaism claims that the Israeli

people are the direct descendants of Abraham while Christians believe that they are

Abraham’s spiritual descendants. And last but not least Islam insists that the first-born,

“legitimate” son of Abraham was Ishmael. Added to all this is the fact that Abraham

ABRAHAM 1
received the title Father-of-nations from his very name. Thus we can see the great which

Abraham has as a figure of such religious value.

What made Abraham stand out? Why was he chosen to such a great calling?

Abraham was no ordinary man in his time. He was highly respected in the region where

he lived. But what caused caused him to stand out and be chosen had nothing to do with

any earthly greatness. First of all Abraham was a man who not only exhibited great faith

in God but also demonstrated a tremendous level of trust and obedience to God. By faith

Abraham left his homeland Mesopotamia, Ur of the Chaldeans literally without knowing

where he was going. Through obedience he listened to God’s promises by which all of his

descendants would be greatly blessed. Abraham was a true living example for believers

then and now, a life of faith, unwavering obedience and deep trust in God’s promises.

Through Abrahams seed God would bless the whole world. All who are from this

seed enter into this covenant promise. From Ur of the Chaldeans to Hebron where he

was eventually buried, Abraham covered a great amount of territory, holding on to God’s

faithfulness and promise wherever he went.

Abraham’s righteousness by faith caused him to be considered “perfect” or

“blameless” by God. These are very profound statements to said of any mortal man (with

the exception of Jesus). His lifestyle highlights the trust we must have in God through

every phase of our lives. His trust in God and his dependence on divine providence were

what earned him such a prestigious place in God’s eyes. As Romans 4:9 tells us that “…

his faith was reckoned for righteousness.

ABRAHAM 2
 Another great mention that Abraham received was that he was called friend of God.

“And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was

accounted to him for righteousness. ' And he was called the friend of God” (James

2:21-23, NKJV).Wow!! What an honorable title to have. God’s word rightfully teaches

that God honors those who honor Him. None of the other great men of the Bible

received this title.

There was something in Abraham’s character which set him apart for the crowd.

Besides his already mentioned faith and obedience to God, Abraham also had attributes

which stood out. The book of Genesis in the Bible is our source of information to learn

of these things. We see Abraham, as a great host, a very hospitable man as he entertained

those three travelers we find in Genesis 18. While yet being a man of advanced age he did

not hesitate in getting right up and literally preparing a feast for his unexpected guests,

this showed him also to be a very generous man. He was also known as a humble man

throughout his life, in this instance he set out to meet the three men instead of just calmly

waiting for them to reach him that he might then greet them. Furthermore he bowed to

the ground when he greeted them, as if greeting royalty.

Abraham was also known to be a responsible man, possessed great leadership skills

demonstrated when he set out to rescue his nephew Lot. Abraham was and still remains

an example all of us.

ABRAHAM 3
 Though not a biography of Abraham, the book of Genesis shows us numerous

instances that display Abraham’s deep faith and trust in God and His promises. His faith

being greatly tested when God asked him to offer up his own son (the promised son) in

sacrifice to God. Abraham does not re-negotiate with God, as many of us sometimes do,

he immediately obeyed. This event had powerful prophetic meaning as it portrayed The

Heavenly Father offering His only son as a sacrifice for Mankind. Abraham did not

question God nor did he waver in the slightest, instead he hung steadfast and faithfully to

God’s promise to him.

ABRAHAM 4